1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an instructional device for illustrating the positions of notes of a guitar or other stringed musical instrument, such that the device can be used for illustrating the position of, and relationship between, the notes used for forming various chords with the musical instrument.
2. Description of Related Art
A guitar typically includes five or six strings that extend over a fingerboard or neck that is disposed between a body of the instrument and a headstock. A person uses one hand to set the strings in vibration, for example, by picking, strumming, plucking, or otherwise playing the strings at the body of the instrument. The pitch of the strings is determined by the effective length and tension of the strings. Therefore, the person uses a second hand to selectively hold the strings against the fingerboard at various positions along the length of the fingerboard. The fingerboard is typically marked by frets, with each fret representing a note position, i.e., a position at which the person can hold each string against the fingerboard so that the string vibrates at the frequency of a particular note. Each successive fret generally represents the note position for a successive note on each string, each note on each string differing by a tonic interval referred to as a semitone. The formation of a chord of multiple notes typically requires that some or all of the strings are held at different frets or note positions along the fingerboard. Therefore, the person must coordinate the placement of his or her fingers on the fingerboard accordingly.
Various devices and methods have been developed for illustrating the note positions of the strings of a guitar. For example, in some cases, the guitar is provided with marks that indicate the note corresponding to each fret position along each string. That is, the strings of a 5-string guitar may be marked at the nut (i.e., the “0th fret) with the letters E, A, D, G, and B to indicate that the five strings should sound with the corresponding note when played in the open (unheld) position. The first fret can be marked with the letters F, A♯, D♯, G♯, and C to indicate that each string should sound with the corresponding note when the string is held at the first fret. Similarly, the other frets or note positions of the strings can be marked for each string so that the person can determine the note that can be formed with each string by holding the string at the various positions. Such marks can assist the person in learning to play the various notes of each string. However, in order to form chords of multiple notes, the person must know which notes to combine to achieve a desired chord. If the person does not know the note combinations for a desired chord, he or she must consult a reference such as an instructional book, thereby complicating the learning process.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an instructional device and an associated method for facilitating the illustration of the position of and relationship between the notes that can be formed by holding the strings of an instrument at various positions.